5 Dark horse candidates to eventually break into Mavericks' starting lineup

2. Daniel Gafford

This is familiar territory for Daniel Gafford.

The trades for the Mavs to acquire Gafford and P.J. Washington to address their defensive issues might've been the best moves for them last season.

Gafford has arguably been the best energizer for the Mavs. Gafford is someone who's played his role about as good as a coach can ask. He's a defensive anchor who's as automatic as anybody when he gets a touch underneath the rim.

Let's not forget about the time when he was an offensive beast. Gafford went on a historic offensive run last season, trailing only one of the greatest NBA players of all-time in one column.

Gafford presents himself as one of the best shot blockers in the league, especially during his tenure with Washington. He averaged fifth in blocks in the NBA last season with 1.5. His high intensity is good for the team, especially when the team needed more reliable defensive big men to grab rebounds.

Gafford is also a good teammate when it comes to his attitude. He's expressed his support for his younger teammate, Lively II after a game where Lively II and Gafford combined for 20-21 from the field after a blowout victory against Chicago.

Gafford is someone who has proven he can start in a Jason Kidd lineup. Even if Kidd was favoring playing Lively II more in the postseason, Gafford has done everything that Mavs fans could've asked and then some.

After averaging 11.2 points and 6.9 rebounds, Gafford would usually get the starting nod in the blink of an eye, but the Mavericks have a good problem right now. Assuming Lively II gets the start on opening night, Gafford is someone who can step in and dominate on both sides of the ball when he needs to.

Gafford has proven he can start on a full-time basis, but perhaps the coaching staff wants Lively II to grow in his sophomore campaign. This could be similar to a quarterback controversy moving forward, but Gafford is more than ready to step up if the big man from Duke were to go down with an injury.

Both players are accepting of whatever role Kidd gives them, and they have a great relationship as teammates.